tournament fish, would you still fish?


I know I could and it wouldn't bother me in the least.
But I know guys, that can't enjoy fishing unless they are in a tournament setting.

Man, I love to fish but fishing tournaments takes it to another level for me. I definitely would still do it but Im betting I wouldn't be nearly as obsessed.

Fun fishing is boring.

About the only time I get to fish is either a day or so of prefishing or tournament day.

I am not going to say I wouldn't fish but I'm not much on fishing for fun other than Falcon.

When I retire in a couple of years I want to get a way from all the people. Plan to get me an Aluminum boat and fish some rivers, that sounds like fun.

If the only way you could fish was in a tournament, I might not fish at all. Particularly if my only choice was these giants mega bass events where you get to share the lake with your partner and your closest 2000 friends. Fishing for me is about being on the water, enjoying mother nature, and trophy hunting.

When I was younger my mind set was; if I was going to fish then it was preparing for a tournament. This would provide a chance to win some of the money back that was spent fishing.

Now with that being behind me, I wish that decision was never made. Fishing tournaments every weekend for 30 years cost me plenty. Catching huge numbers and Big Bass in Mexico is much more enjoyable. I could have taken all that money and went to Mexico once a month for all those years and have a house down there, with money left over.

It comes down to our jobs, the time we have to fish and the availability of great places to fish. This is about time, money and people you know. Like Mr. Purdue says, it is most rewarding to enjoy what you like best. I like the quest for trophy hunting; but it is a scarce reality in our lakes on a regular basis. I choose Mexico and a few private places. Doing this just isn't an option for most fisherman.

Being retired or owning your own business so you can get away, opens up the doors to fishing the way you would like to do it. For others you just have to get after them the best you can and never look back.

wouldn't change I'd still fish as much as I do now.

For sure.

Heck, I wish they'd ban tournaments all together.

I fish to solve the riddle of "what, when and where" and what equipment is best applied to the problem. Tournaments provide a motivation to do this, but the riddle is also an end in itself and I would still be out there without them.

The comaradary and competition of tournament fishing is great but my life(I actually have one) does not allow for the structured time off and scheduled fishing time and is not worth the time and structured schedule hassles. So YES I would continue fishing when I want and can. Often on the unscheduled "spur of the moment".

If you loose any interest in fishing by not fishing in tournaments then you've lost sight of what fishing is all about.

I agree with this 100%...

I used to be one of those guys who tournament fished and every time I was on the water I was either practicing for a tournament or always comparing my catch at the end of the day to typical tournament results. I will say that I never focused on getting a check and just fished the best I could. I was fortunate enough to cash a few checks but the money didn't interest me in the tournaments....I was a tournament addict.

When I quit fishing tournaments after 30 years, it took some adjustment for me to just go fishing and not be so intense. I finally got back to what I loved about bass fishing and now enjoy it more than ever. I am really enjoying the outdoors and sometimes just take a boat ride and explore different areas. After retiring, I have caught big bass on Toledo Bend and the Sabine River. Took a couple pictures and released them. Never even thought about being in a tournament with those bass.

Honestly, when you do anything most of your life, it should be expected that it is going to take some time to change your behavior and expectations. I have been going through an adjustment the past two years due to retiring after 40 years of working. Of course, that's another subject.

I love fishing tournaments. I love fishing even more. I would be fine.

I did before i staRted with the tournaments. I am sure i would again. Cheryl always says every time you go you are pre-fishing, which is true when you fish a tournament every Thursday. So now we fun fish on Sunday afternoons.

I could certainly fish forever without tournaments. I grew up with fishing and it is a part of who I am and I still love it.

Tourneys are fun in a completely different manner.

I love both. When I'm "fun" fishing I'm catching them the way I want to catch them. Fun fishing I don't care how many or how big they are. A couple hours on the lake is enough and catching something a bonus. I do both but will eventually will just sell the boat and hire a guide to take the old man fishing.

Have only entered one tournament, a one fish big bass tournament. Did OK catching fish but didn't win, but being the back-seat-er and beating the front-seat-er made my day. Tournaments are really not my thing. My tournament is me against the fish and one of us always wins, most of the time it's the fish.

I've never fished an organized tournament don't know if I want too. I've run into some clubs and tourneys on occasion. More often than not I've gotten a condescending vibe. Not labeling all as such. But for now I'm good. Id much rather have the lake to my self anyhow.

If it were not for tournaments I would fish more. I stay away on the weekends because of them and also before some of the tourneys because of all the prefishing. The crowds just take some of the fun out of it for me. I believe the fishing would be better on some lakes because of the fishing pressure and therefore I avoid them altogether.
No negative reflections on any person for what they do. I'm sure some of the tournament fisherman appreciate me staying out of their way.

For me, fishing is fun either way but the competition adds a little more excitement to it. I like playing golf too but would much rather play in a money game. The thing I hated most about tournament fishing are the hours, you fish on their schedule which means getting up at 4am ( depending on how large the tournament is and where and how you're launching ) and usually it's 6-10 pm before you get home, garage the boat and plug in the charger. Fishing just for the fun of it is less tiring and you go and leave when you get ready. You can see how the tournament grind really wears on some of the older veterans like Clunn, Nixon, Klein, etc. Don't know how they continue to be so competitive. I really admire their stamina.

Lost it years ago. I no longer care to fish tourneys but still do. Today was the first time in a long time I just went fishing. If tourneys went away I would crappie fish most of the time.

I fished tournaments for years when I was younger, I used to come home so tired from the stress and HAVING to catch big fish that it was like a job. Today I'm 67 and have more fun fishing with my sons and grandsons that far exceed any pay check I could get from fishing. I keep my boat at my lake house at P.K. and if a tournament comes up there, I might fish it with my son or grandson. I've never enjoyed fishing so much in my life as I do now. I'm really enjoying teaching my 13 year old grandson to bass fish, and he's hooked, that's all he talks about. He's on a roll, he's been hooking up with bigger fish than Grandpa the last few trips out. I told him it was beginner luck

Yes, I love to fish tournaments but if I couldn't, or they didn't exist I would still be on the water every change I got

I'm 72 now and fishing has been such a major part of my life. I got hooked in 1975 and fished tournaments until about 1995. 20 years of pre-fishing and tournament fishing. I fished hard for 15 days/month. Totally burned out in '95 and went back to golf for 10 years. But I returned to fishing and now I fish almost daily but only for about 6 hours. I love the outdoors and have never seen anything prettier than first light on a lake.

I remember a damn good west texas golfer with the last name Perry from Haskell that used to clean everyone's clocks on the golf course.

+1 this is it right here guys

I like a little competition every now and then but I also really enjoy just going fishing, do not have to hurry here or there, can go to a multitude of different lakes,can fish for other species, etc, I guess i am just getting old.

This.